Sculpture Trail Artists

Michael Talbot: Roy Sproson

Born in Staffordshire 1959, Talbot is a figurative sculptor who focuses on creating evocative works of art that captivate and inspire. He says “The human form gives me an endless source of inspiration. The subtlest of movements and expressions can be captured in the sculpture to portray a myriad of emotions and convey tension, drama, fluidity and grace. No other subject has this richness of emotional and spiritual content or the capacity to convey such a broad and interesting narrative.”

Michael Talbot completed his Masters degree at the Royal Academy in London in 1980. He then won the prestigious Landseer prize in 1983. He went on to work under Colin Melbourne ARCA and Dame Elizabeth Frink RA. He was elected to the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 1997.

His passion began at art school with studio pottery classes. This combined with his love of the human figure was further honed in life drawing classes. Michael creates an original clay sculpture which he then casts into bronze, uniquely finishing and patinating each sculpture. This process allows him to enhance and refine the final image.

Talbot has created two sculptures that feature on the trail, Lance-Sergeant John Daniel Baskeyfield VC was recipient of the Victoria Cross. After being called up to the army in 1942, he served with the South Staffordshire Regiment, fought and died in the subsequent Battle of Arnhem in 1944, aged 21. The sculpture features Sergeant Baskeyfield in World War II uniform loading a cannon shell. He wears battle kit, including a helmet camouflaged with leaves, and has the stripes of a sergeant on his left sleeve. The sculpture conveys the strength and determination of those struggling amidst the adversity of war.

In 2012 commemorative sculpture of Roy Sproson was commissioned after nearly a decade of fund raising, raised the £96,000 required. Situated outside Port Vale FC is a figurative tribute to Roy Sproson, who spent his entire professional career at Port Vale, with a club record 837 appearances between 1950 & 1972. He also managed the Club between 1974 and 1977. Roy Sproson passed away in 1997, aged 66.